{"id":307307,"date":"2021-11-24T08:02:25","date_gmt":"2021-11-24T13:02:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/faith-and-honor\/"},"modified":"2021-11-24T08:02:25","modified_gmt":"2021-11-24T13:02:25","slug":"faith-and-honor","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/faith-and-honor\/","title":{"rendered":"Faith and Honor"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How do you pass your faith to your kids? Dave and Ann Wilson describe what impact you&#8217;ll have on your children if you set the example of honoring those around you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/mp3.familylife.com\/fl2021-11-24.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:28:09","filesize":"25.78M","filesize_raw":"27033174","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2891,2806],"tags":[4823,5328],"podcast_series":[8489],"cwp_profile":[3647],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-307307","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-making-memories","category-spiritual-development","tag-home","tag-honor","podcast_series-honor-in-the-home","cwp_profile-dave-and-ann-wilson","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/307307\/faith-and-honor","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/307307\/faith-and-honor","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"YHO0Khju02\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/faith-and-honor\/\">Faith and Honor<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/faith-and-honor\/embed\/#?secret=YHO0Khju02\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Faith and Honor&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"YHO0Khju02\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"How do you pass your faith to your kids? Dave and Ann Wilson describe what impact you'll have on your children if you set the example of honoring those around you.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylife.com\/fl2021-11-24.pdf","transcript_content":"<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> So let\u2019s say our family went to another family\u2019s house; and we spent a whole evening together\u2014we ate; we laughed\u2014we got to know each other and their kids. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> That sounds good to me. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Yes, and we came home; and I said, \u201cWow! I loved being with them. It felt like they really honored one another.\u201d What do you think I would mean by that? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWelcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>, where we want to help you pursue the relationships that matter most. I\u2019m Ann Wilson.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> And I\u2019m Dave Wilson, and you can find us at FamilyLifeToday.com or on our FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> app.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> You would mean they valued one another; they spoke words of affirmation and encouragement to one another; they like each other; there is joy in their home. I don\u2019t know\u2014I\u2019m just guessing\u2014those are the things that I would think of. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Yes; but I wouldn\u2019t want it to be too squeaky clean, because that\u2019s not realistic to me. I know there are going to be flaws, and kids are going to fight and all of that, but there would be an authentic honoring of one another, that is not perfect, but they are <em>seeking<\/em> Jesus in it. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Yes; so we\u2019ve also talked about honor is this idea of to bless one another\u2014is to bend the knee\u2014which means, when you bow before someone, you\u2019re saying, \u201cI\u2019m in the presence of someone extremely valuable.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhat would it be like if our <em>kids<\/em> felt that in their own home?\u2014if we felt that as a mom and dad? We thought, \u201cOkay, if we are going to create honor in our home, we have three aspects: honor God; honor one another; honor our neighbor,\u201d\u2014which is really the commandment Jesus gave us\u2014to say the most important thing you can do is honor God first, and then one another and honor your neighbor. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tToday, let\u2019s talk about: \u201cWhat does it look like to honor one another?\u201d Again, we go back to Deuteronomy 6, which is a pivotal, foundational verse\u2014really, passage\u2014in the history of Israel\/in the history of our faith, where it is written in verse 4: \u201cHear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.\u201d He is saying that to the parents; we talked previously about how that\u2019s where it starts. If it\u2019s not in us, as mom and dad\u2014if we are not honoring God first\u2014it\u2019s hard for that to be part of our home and passed on. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen he goes on to talk about impressing this\u2014verse[s] 5, 6, and 7 say\u2014\u201cImpress them\u201d\u2014the commandments of God\u2014\u201con your children. Talk about them when you sit at home, and when you walk along the road, and when you lie down, and when you get up.\u201d It\u2019s on mom and dad to honor God first but then to honor one another. In other words, I think every parent, [who] is a follower of Christ, is saying, \u201cHow do I pass on my faith to my kids?\u201d Let\u2019s talk about that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> I really did take this verse from Deuteronomy and try to put it into practice; like, \u201cHow do we impress them on our children?\u201d First, we do talk about them when we sit at home. Where do we do most of the sitting? I mean, most of the time, we would say, \u201cWatching TV\u201d; but another part that we sit is when we are eating together. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think eating meals together is a great, great place to pass on our faith, to speak love and hope to one another, and also just to find out what is going on in your life right now. Meal time was really, really important to us. Because our kids were super-active, we didn\u2019t do it every single night; but we shot for four days a week that we sat down at a meal together. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> What happens at that meal time? Tell them what Ann Wilson always wanted to do at meal time. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> I need some credit for this because, having three sons, this was not that easy to get everyone to <em>talk<\/em> at the dinner table. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> You meant four sons. [Laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> You were one of them?\u2014so true. I would always get groaning; by the time they got to be teenagers, they were like, \u201cUgh!\u201d But we really did try to talk about, like: \u201cLet\u2019s talk about what was a highlight today; what went really well?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019ve said this here before, but especially with guys\u2014and girls\u2014to attach a <em>feeling<\/em> word with it. Even with little kids, it\u2019s really important for them to be able to express what they <em>feel<\/em> about something. I think that\u2019s a really good practice to get into. So also, to hear: \u201cWhat was hard about today? Did anything happen that you feel like, \u2018Man, this didn\u2019t go very well\u2019?\u201d And then we would talk about it. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> In this culture\u2014in this speed, and everybody is involved in so many things; and we hurry, hurry, hurry\u2014to sit down, as a family and have a meal, has to be scheduled; I mean, you have to put it on the calendar. You have to say, \u201cThis matters.\u201d We\u2019re not going to say, \u201cYes,\u201d to everything; because we have to say, \u201cNo,\u201d to things so that we can sit down, as a family, and have a meal together; right? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Yes; one of my favorite things that I\u2019ve ever done over in Israel is to experience a Shabbat dinner\/a Sabbath dinner with a Jewish family and experience the culture in which they <em>truly<\/em> honored one another. They would speak the Word\/God\u2019s Word over one another. They would <em>bless<\/em> one another\u2014they would actually put their hand\/the right hand of blessing on one another\u2014the father over the mother, the father over the children. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI <em>cried<\/em> during it, because it was <em>so<\/em> beautiful. It was such a place of honor and love; but our kids are <em>longing<\/em> for that for their parents to know them\/to talk to them. They may not express it, but they need it and long for it. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> I\u2019m <em>glad<\/em> that you made it a priority, to say, \u201cFamily dinner time is <em>not<\/em> going to be pushed off the calendar.\u201d Now, we also said, \u201cNo cell phones;\u201d\u2014even back then\u2014\u201cno phone on the wall\u201d; we didn\u2019t answer it. You know, as a pastor, emergencies come up; it\u2019s like: \u201cWe\u2019re not answering the phone. This is to honor one another\/to say, \u2018You are extremely valuable right now. The phone gets put away. It\u2019s not even on the table. Put it away.\u2019\u201d When the boys had phones: \u201cPut them away; we\u2019re going to focus on one another during meal time.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> If your kids are little, it\u2019s a great practice to get into now. My friend put them in a basket; they just put them in a basket when they ate dinner. When your kids are little, start it. If they are teenagers, you say, \u201cHey, you guys, we have a new practice. This meal time is really important for us, so we are going to put our phones away.\u201d You might have some pushback at first, but it will pay off. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Okay, here is another one. We\u2019ve got meal time. Another chance to pass on your faith, and pause and honor one another, is bedtime. Talk about bedtime, even as they were like toddlers, and even as teenagers. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> It\u2019s interesting because we would read\u2014I think from the time they were two; probably younger\u2014but from the time they got into a little bed until the time\/probably until high school\u2014we read books together: devotionals, classic literature. We would also\u2014here\u2019s the blessing\u2014put our hands on them at night\u2014that right hand\/that hand of blessing and honor\u2014and we would pray over them every single night. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBecause they don\u2019t want to go to sleep, that\u2019s the time when you hear a lot of what is going on in their hearts: what they are fearful of, what they are worried about, what they are thinking. Man, we would either lay on the floor or just lay in the bed with them. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou guys, it is <em>so hard<\/em> when your kids are little because you just like\u2014\u201cI just want to go and have some time to myself,\u201d\u2014you <em>long<\/em> for that. But I would really encourage that you take advantage of that time when they still want you there to talk to. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Yes, I mean, when they are little, they are crawling on your head [Laughter], even if you are trying to read the Bible or listen to a kids devotional. You want it to be squeaky clean, and you want them to be all\u2014and they are just little kids\u2014they are crawling all over. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI do remember this: when the boys became teenagers, there was a sense in me that it felt somewhat awkward to lay in bed with them. You know, like now, it\u2019s <em>men<\/em>; they are not boys anymore. I would love lying in bed [when they were younger]; but as they got older, and they became men, it\u2019s like, \u201cThis feels weird.\u201d But I tell you\u2014that bedtime is still critical; right?\u2014lay on the floor. Ask them about their day; talk. It\u2019s like this precious, little moment. In some ways, they said it was their favorite times with us, as their parents; right? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Oh, yes. I would also encourage you: \u201cHave your kids pray out loud from the time they are little.\u201d Get them in the habit of praying out loud because that builds their confidence in their prayer life. If they get older, and someone says, \u201cHey, could you pray?\u201d they don\u2019t freak out because they\u2019ve never done that before. It just becomes a habit; it\u2019s a habit, and it\u2019s natural to be praying out loud. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br>I would say this, too, parents, as you are in their bed, talking to them\u2014whatever\u2014don\u2019t be on your phones. It\u2019s really easy\u2014because it can feel really <em>boring<\/em> as they are talking about, maybe, something over and over again\u2014they are so little, and it might feel so trivial; but to them, your undivided attention is really important. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI remember, years ago, reading this book by Jean Lush. She wrote a book called <em>Mothers &amp; Sons<\/em>. In it, she talked about this experience she had with her daughter. She and her husband actually worked at a girls\u2019 home, and they watched over the girls\u2019 dormitory. One night, Jean was putting her daughter to bed; and she had heard of a rumor that there was going to be a breakout that night of some of the girls. She was on alert, thinking, \u201cThey could be breaking out. I need to get out of this room. I need to find out what is happening.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHer little daughter was nine years old. She was saying, \u201cGood night,\u201d but she felt like something was on her daughter\u2019s mind. She was in a rush; so she said, \u201cHoney, what\u2019s wrong? Just tell me what\u2019s happening.\u201d Her daughter kept hemming and hawing, and Jean kept getting more and more frustrated; she said, \u201cJust tell me; what\u2019s happening?!\u201d Her daughter said this: \u201cMom, I can\u2019t talk to you when you are like this. I need you to lie down in your soul first before I can open up.\u201d Jean said, \u201cI laid there and thought, \u2018Oh, Lord, this is so like me. I\u2019m always moving ahead of her; I\u2019m always moving onto the next thing. I need to settle down my soul.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHow articulate of a nine-year-old to be able to say, \u201cI need you to rest in your soul before I can open up my soul.\u201d Sure enough, as Jean was in bed with her little girl, the little girl ended up saying that she was teased that day by her teacher. The teacher had told her that she was dumb, and her daughter cried and cried about that. Jean said, \u201cI almost lost that moment, because I was so about getting on to the next thing.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tMan, that is easy to do as parents; isn\u2019t it? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Yes; I know that now, looking back, as a grandparent. A decision I made when the boys were really little\u2014and in the moment, I didn\u2019t realize how important it was\u2014but now, I look back and think, \u201cThat was one of the best decisions I made,\u201d\u2014was when you said to me, when the boys were just three\/four years old, when I asked you, \u201cWhen do you need me the most to help: morning or evening?\u201d You said, \u201cEvening,\u201d\u2014you know, bedtime. I went to our church that we had just started, and I said, \u201cNo more evening meetings with me. I need to be home in the evening with my wife and my boys, putting them to bed.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> I think we said, \u201c\u2026five days a week.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Yes; I just said, \u201cIf you want to meet at five in the morning, I\u2019ll meet. If you want to meet six in the morning, I\u2019ll meet; but in the evening, I need to be home.\u201d I\u2019m <em>so glad<\/em>\u2014again, we didn\u2019t do it perfectly\u2014I\u2019m <em>so glad<\/em> we seized that moment. I made that commitment to say, \u201cI\u2019m going to honor God first; and if I\u2019m going to honor my family, it has to be a priority on my calendar.\u201d It was so easy to get pulled away on other things. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo you\u2019ve got like meal time\u2014you know, you build these routines\u2014you\u2019ve got bedtime. Here is another one I watched <em>you<\/em> do\u2014drive time\u2014when you\u2019ve got them in the car with you. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Oh, yes; what I say is: \u201cWe have a captured audience in the car,\u201d\u2014this is the opportunity. I think it\u2019s really easy\u2014and we all know this\u2014it\u2019s easy to give your kids a device in the car; because they are quiet, and it\u2019s so much easier. But man, this drive time is opportune time to\u2014one: if they are going to school\/if you\u2019re driving them to school, ask them, \u201cHow can I pray for you today?\u201d \u201cDo you have any tests?\u201d \u201cAnything you are worried about?\u201d \u201cAnything I can be praying for you during the day?\u201d\u2014even so, you can pray out loud. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019ve said this so many times before: \u201cFrom the time I put my kids in infant seats, I prayed out loud with them in the car.\u201d I think it\u2019s a <em>great<\/em> practice for them to see that God is not a God of Sundays\/He\u2019s just about going to church. He is a relational God, who wants a relationship with [us]. As we model talking to God\u2014what that looks like when we\u2019re happy, when we\u2019re sad, when we are angry\u2014our kids realize: \u201cI want that relationship with Jesus.\u201d That time in the car is really, really important. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Basically, all we are trying to say is: \u201cIf we are trying to honor God first, and honor one another, and pass on our faith, there are moments every day.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHere is the thing: there are moments every <em>week<\/em>. I don\u2019t think a lot of us, as parents, understand, from birth to age 18\u2014again, I don\u2019t know if they are leaving the home at 18, or 17, or 19, or 20\u2014but if you just take from birth to 18, guess how many weeks you have?\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> I don\u2019t know. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> \u2014with your child? You have 936 weeks\u2014that sounds like forever\u2014but it\u2019s like: \u201cWhat if you said, \u2018I\u2019m going to seize this week\u2019?\u201d One of the things we\u2019ve talked about here many times\u2014we don\u2019t need to get into it\u2014but we decided Friday nights would be Wilson family night\/Wilson party night. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe sort of created a routine\u2014and I don\u2019t think we missed very many Friday nights\u2014where we didn\u2019t miss Wilson family night. It was like; \u201cThis is a night to honor our family and say, \u2018Nothing else gets on the calendar. We\u2019re going to protect this night to watch VHS movies,\u2019\u2014[Laughter]\u2014that tells you how long ago it was\u2014\u2018and just have a night with the family.\u2019\u201d Again, you don\u2019t realize you only have 900 or so of those; and then they are gone. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> We made it fun, man. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Oh, it was <em>awesome<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> It\u2019s not like [sounding dismayed]: \u201cOh, it\u2019s family night.\u201d These kids were like [excitedly], \u201cIt\u2019s FRIDAY! It\u2019s WILSON night!\u201d They could <em>not wait<\/em> to participate, because we would do something fun that they would love. Besides watching a movie, we would go swimming; or we would have a big snowball fight. We would do something that was fun, and part of that is our personality; but man, they could not <em>wait<\/em>; and they are doing it with their own kids. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> By the way, something you never think of\u2014when you are thinking of honoring your kids and passing on your faith\u2014is don\u2019t miss this weekly event, as well: a date night for your marriage. It doesn\u2019t have to be every single week\u2014but I tell you what\u2014if you prioritize that and say to your kids, \u201cYou know what? For a relationship to flourish, Mom and Dad need to go out and be alone,\u201d\u2014they get it at 9, 10, 15, 16 years old. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> I was going to say, Dave, too, to not forget <em>church<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Oh, yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Like Hebrews says, \u201cDo not neglect gathering together.\u201d I think it\u2019s really easy today to not go to church. People, especially after COVID, you can have a hesitancy to go back. I would say, \u201cFind a church that preaches God\u2019s Word, that has great small groups, and get plugged in.\u201d That is one of the greatest things you can do for your whole family. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> One last thought: to honor your neighbor. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> I mean, He calls us, as a family and as individuals, to not just love one another and love God, but to take that love from God and literally love your neighbor. It could be a neighbor right next door; it could be a stranger you meet, who becomes your neighbor, because you are in relationship with them; but it\u2019s like: \u201cWhat would it look like to model for kids to love your neighbor?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> One of the things I\u2019ve been doing lately is I take my niece\u2014my great niece, actually\u2014we have an adventure, we call it. I do that with our grandkids, too, where we have an adventure. Part of the time is we are going to have a lot of fun\/we\u2019re going to have a <em>blast<\/em>; but the other part is I pray before we go, \u201cLord, lead us to someone who we could love and see today, and we could bless them.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe\u2019ve done that by doing different things. Sometimes, we\u2019ve just said, \u201cHi,\u201d to people; maybe, a homeless person\/we\u2019ll give a homeless person money. We\u2019ll pray at the beginning of our adventure, like, \u201cLord, who needs this? Will you guide us and show us a person who would really be blessed by this?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tTo have like a six-year-old with you, and you are praying this, I said to her, \u201cLet\u2019s find the person. When you feel God\u2019s nudge of His Spirit, let\u2019s really try to feel like, \u2018Lord, who could we bless this day?\u2019\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> I remember, when the boys were little, we said we were going to mow, literally, our next door neighbor\u2019s yard. She was an older woman. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Well, we did; we mowed every week. She complained\u2014because that [mowing] was a job\u2014but we tried to rake her leaves one time. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Oh, that\u2019s what it was; yes. She used to sit at the front window and just yell at people for stepping on her yard. [Laughter] She yelled at us for raking her leaves\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> \u2014wrong. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Again, it\u2019s like trying to show our boys that honor\u2014you don\u2019t just honor people you like\u2014you honor people who are hard to like. Who knows what her whole story was? But it was like: \u201cGod calls us to honor Him, to honor one another, and to honor even people [who] are hard to honor.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen\u2014I think I\u2019ve said it here before\u2014but then, a couple years later, I hear this thud one day when I\u2019m in the front yard. I look over, and she had fallen in her garage; that\u2019s what the thud was. I walk over. I literally pick her up and carry her into her house\u2014first time I\u2019ve ever been in, because she wouldn\u2019t let anybody into her house\u2014put her on her couch. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLong story short, when she sort of got herself back together, she looked at me, now, differently; because I had helped. Next thing I know, I\u2019m down in her basement, looking at her husband\u2019s workspace that had never been touched since he died. It was like this beautiful moment, like she did feel loved by the Wilsons next door; because we tried to honor God, each other, and our neighbor. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhat would you say to the family who wants to live this out? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> I would say, \u201cIt would be cool to tell your kids, like, \u2018Hey, this is what we are thinking\u2019\u201d; or maybe, you are an empty-nester, and you\u2019re thinking, \u201cI don\u2019t know how this applies to me.\u201d Oh, man! Can I just say, \u201cThere are <em>so many<\/em> parents of young kids, that are <em>longing<\/em> for grandparents to come help, because their parents are out of town\u201d? There are so many different ways that we could honor God by loving other people. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> I would just add: we gave you a lot of ideas of how to pass your faith onto your kids. I would say, \u201cPick one or two and start today.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> The Bible calls each one of us to live as honorable people\u2014people who are worthy of receiving honor\u2014but also people who honor others; it\u2019s a biblical theme. It is something that, as we\u2019ve heard from Dave and Ann Wilson today, can be lived out in so many different ways in our home, in our family, in our neighborhood, our community, our church. Thinking about practical ways we can express value, and honor, and worth to others is a good exercise, especially here during Thanksgiving week. I hope you\u2019ll take some time today and think, practically, about how you can live this out in your family. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDave referenced a book that was helpful for him\u2014a book called <em>The Blessing: Giving the Gift of Unconditional Love and Acceptance<\/em>\u2014it\u2019s a book we\u2019ve got in our <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> Resource Center. If you\u2019d like to explore the subject of honor further, go to FamilyLifeToday.com to order a copy of the book, <em>The Blessing<\/em>; or call 1-800-FL-TODAY. Again, our website is FamilyLifeToday.com. The number to call: 1-800-358-6329; that\u2019s 1-800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI know, for most of us, the thing that is looming large on our calendar this week is Thanksgiving celebration with the family\/whatever plans you have made for the holiday. This is a season, at FamilyLife, where we are thinking about what we have to be thankful for. Of course, it has been a tough year for everyone\u2014a tough year for our ministry\u2014but David Robbins, who is the president of FamilyLife, is here with us. David, there is <em>a lot<\/em> that we have, as a ministry, to be thankful for. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> Yes, I think of several things that I\u2019m thankful for. One, I just want to thank you\/for those of you who have contributed to FamilyLife with generosity over this year. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know, I was on a mentor call with Dennis Rainey. As we were processing, he was just reflecting\/going, \u201cI never had a season\u201d\u2014in his 40-plus years of leadership, where he had to completely shut down an area of the ministry because of a pandemic. There were times like a recession\u2014less people came\u2014but yet, to have to shut a whole arm of the ministry down for a season was something unique to navigate. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe reality, for us, is God has sustained us. I\u2019m so <em>grateful<\/em> for the way God has sustained FamilyLife. It has been largely through ministry partners, like many of you, who have given generously. Thank you so much for helping us continue to live out the mission.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSecondly, I think about the number of people, who are facing more needs in their home\u2014whether that is their marriage, or whether that\u2019s with their kids, whether it\u2019s anxiety or depression, or having to walk through different challenges that the last two years have brought\u2014the opportunity amongst marriages and families are showing. You\u2019ve helped ministry continue. Our homepage traffic has increased by over ten percent, people coming on their own to find help for their marriage or family. Our podcast listening has increased 60 percent, because people are wanting to finish a show that they hear on radio and go finish it. People are looking for help, and we\u2019ve been able to provide it for them because of your generosity. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThird, I\u2019m thankful we can still remember back\u2014it took an 18-month break\u2014and I\u2019m so thankful that, even though we\u2019re having to take precautions and to make sure that we have a safe environment, they are back. God is producing so much fruit, helping meet couples where they are at; because it has been a challenging time. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat\u2019s a lot; yet, ultimately, I\u2019m just grateful that God keeps meeting us where we are at with His presence, and that we get to be a part, at FamilyLife, of helping bring Jesus to meet people where they are at. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Well, of course, we are thankful for those of you who are regular listeners to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Those of you who support this ministry financially, thank you for your partnership with us through the year; and thank you for remembering FamilyLife as we approach yearend as well. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe hope you can join us, again, tomorrow on Thanksgiving Day, here in the United States, when we\u2019re going to hear about an unusual spiritual awakening that took place\u2014this was a number of years ago\u2014in a pro-football locker room over the course of a season. Dave Wilson will introduce us to some of the Detroit Lions teammates who were a part of that spiritual season, and we\u2019ll hear from them tomorrow. The Lions play tomorrow; so maybe, before the game, you\u2019ll tune in and hear about what God did in the Lions\u2019 locker room many years ago. I hope you can do that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOn behalf of our hosts, Dave and Ann Wilson, I\u2019m Bob Lepine. We will see you back tomorrow for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife; a Cru<sup>\u00ae <\/sup>Ministry. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHelping you pursue the relationships that matter most.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2021 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a>\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/307307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=307307"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=307307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=307307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=307307"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=307307"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=307307"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=307307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}